Lubrication of engines and machines



Patented Feb. 22, 1927. y

UNITED STATES y 1,618,870 PATENT oFFics.

ALFRED HUBERT BRISTOL ENGLAND, AssIGNoRs 'ro 1TED,oE BRISTOL,

ROY FEDDEN AND LEONARD FREDERICK GEORGE BUTLER, or

THE RRrsToL AERorLaNEJ CDMPANY LmeLoUeEs'rER, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.v

LUBRICATION OF ENGINES .AND MACHINES.

Application inea April 9, l1924., serial No. 705,338, and in'ereaariiain Apiil' 14, 1923.'

This invention is for improvements in' or relating to the lubrication of engines and machines, and has for its object to provide an improvedconstruction and arrangement 5 of the arts concerned whereby the system of lubrication is simplified. In certain kinds of machinery, such for example as engines for aircraft, it is essential that the lubrication should be continuous and effective, and that the lubricant should be kept clean. In addition to using filters in the lubrication circuit, centrifugal separators have been provided as an integral part of the lubrication circuit, for the purpose of 15. effecting additional cleansing of the lubrieating oil. Heretofor'e, such centrifugal separators have'been provided as additional parts driven by the engine Wherewith they are used, the necessary piping being also provided to include such separator in the lubrication circuit.

y According to this invention there is provided in the lubrication system of an engine or machine, a chamber in the oil circuit, which chamber is formed in orion a portion of the mechanism -that is provided primarily for someother purpose and rotates at a high speed, and in order that this chamber may operate as aeentrifugal separator for the oil passing throughv it, it is formed with a pocket -or' part that is more remote from the centre of rotation of the said portion of mechanism than are the inlet and outlet openings communicating with the chamber.

This invention also comprises the partieular application of the invention to an internal-combustion engine in which the lu- Abricating system includes a passage formed in afrotatmg crank-shaft, and consists lin the addition to said passage of a chamber formedl in a balance-weight or crank-web of the shaft, an inlet duet leading from the suppl passagein the crank-shaft to said cham r at a point other than the partv of the chamber most remotejfromthe centre of the crank-shaft, and an 'outlet duct leadv ing from'sad chamber. at a point other than the art most remote -from the centre. of rotation,I to another part of the crank-shaft.

'p50 Preferably'the said outlet duet opens from `that part of the chamber which is nearest to the centre ofrotationof the cranklshaft. lIn the accompanyingdrawings, which i illustrate the application of this invention f to a single-throw crank-shaft for an internalcombustion engine-i Figure l shows in longitudinal central section so much of the'crank-'shaft as is necessai-y tothe understanding of this invention;Y

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the arrangement of one of the crank-webs and bi'tlancc-weights; and

Figure 3 is .a similar View in section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 showing the other web and balance-weight.

Like reference characters indicate like lparts throughout the drawings.

Referring to these dra-wings, the crankshaft comprises two hollow shaft-portions 10, 11 respectively connected by webs 12. 13 and a crank-pin 14. The'inner en of the shaft-portions 'are closed by iy suitahlc means at 15, 16 respectively, und the lubricating oil is introduced under pressure into the space 17 within the shaft portion 10 and passes out from the space 18 in the shaft-portion 11.

Each of the crank-webs 12, 13 is extended on the'other side of the shaft 10, 11 to constitute balance-weights 19, 20 respectively. and a chamber is formed in each of these balancefweights, as indicated at 21. 22 respectively. of cyl-'ndrical'shape and extend to one face of the balance-weight, being closed at that face by means of screwed plugs 23, 24 rospectively.

A thebalance-weight 19 (see Figure 3) seas to communicate with the. space 17 of the These chambers are conveniently .passage 25 is bored. obliquelv through shaft, and a transverse passage 26 is` bored from one side of the balance-weight tol provide communication betweenthe passage 25 and the chamber 21 at a point nearer to the axis of lrotation of the crank-shaft than the most remote part of that chamber. The ends ofthe passages 25, 26 are closed by plugs 27, 28 constitute the to the chamber 21.

The outletl duct from this chamber is formed by boring paage'v 29 along the centreel of the balance-weight 19 to the space 17, and continuing it by a similar passage 30 through the crank-web 12 to com municate with the interior 31 of the hollow respectively, and these passages inlet duct from the space 17 y impuritiesl cured within the hollow shaftto connect the two passages 29, 30. with one another and tpl sparate Vthem from the space 17 of the s a The outlet for the lubricating oil from chambers which constitute the lcentrifugal the space 31 is provided by a Vpassage 33 which extends obliquely from it to the inner face of the'part 11 of the shaft where4 the passage is continued by means of a tribular member 34 inserted within the crankshaft to provide communication with a further passage 35 bored though the balanceweight 20. A transverse passage 36 provides communicat-ion from the passage 35 into the chamber 22, and the outlet from this chamber is similarly constituted by a passage 37 which communicates with the space 18 of the shaft-portion 11.

The oil delivered into the space 17 of the shaft-portion 10 passes by the vpassages 25, 26 into the chamber 21 and owing to the rotation of the shaft 1tis therein subjected to a centrifugal separating effect, the heavy collecting in that part of the chamber most remote from the axis of rotation of the shaft. The oil 'thus cleansed passes by the passages 29, 32, 30 toA the crank-pin passage 31, and ffrom thence by means of the passages 33, 34, 35 to the chamber 22 where it is subjected to a second centrifugal separation before passing to the space 18 in the shaft-portion 11. The chambers 21, 22 are cleaned at intervals by removals of the plugs 23, 24, and conveniently also by removal of the plugs 38, 39 closing the ends 'of the assages -29, 37 respectively, as the blind end of these passages serve to collect the impurities separated from the oil.

It willbe understood that this'invention is not limited to the particular construction hereinbefore described,'since the centrifugal separator mayabe formed in any existing rotating part of the engine or machine provided that the rate of rotation issufficiently high to give the desired sepa ating effect, and that the inlet and outlet ducts for the chamber are arranged in the requisite manner to provide a pocket'for-theaccumulation of the separated impurities.

It will furthermore be seen that this invention offers considerable advantages in that the provision of a special centrifugal machine and its driving mechanism is rendered unnecessary, since existing parts are used for this purpose, so that a considerable saving of weight and complexity Ais ensured. Moreover, in the particular construction hereinbefore described,'the provision of the separator necessitates very little more maclnnmgthan is called forby the ordinary lubricatmg system of an internal-combustion engine without any centrifugal separa'- not function as centrifugal sep rating chambers because, apart from the b ind en s closed permanently by through th'em, w e'reby the settling of sediparts of'- the conlugs-,the oil owed solidlyv therewith of the adjacent partsbut these 'parts of the vconduit in the crankpins did ment wasl prevented, and no claim is made herein to such a known system of lubrication.

NVhat welclaim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In the lubrication system of a ymechanism the combination of a rotatable hollow crankshaft through which oil is circulated, a balance-weight on the crank-shaft, which balance-weight has' a chamberv formed therein,

removable. closure means for said chamber, `means provldmg communication from one part of the interior of the crank-shaft to said chamber at ai point thereof nearer to the axis of rotation of the shaft than is another part of the chamber, and means. providing communication from another point' in said chamber `that also is nearer to the axis ofrotation of the crank-shaftthan is the said other part of the chamber, to another' part of the interior of the crank-shaft, substantially7 as set forth.

ln testimony whereof we havesigned our I `names to this specification.

ALFRED HUBERT ROY FEDDEN. y LEONARD FREDERICK GEORGE BUTLER. 

